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This article is about Sonic the Hedgehog's appearance in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. For other uses, see Sonic the Hedgehog.

This speedy fighter has a lot of rush-type attacks. His Final Smash, Super Sonic, let's him fly around the stage at an incredible speed!
—Description from the Super Smash Blog.

Sonic the Hedgehog is a veteran fighter in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, first playable in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. He was confirmed to return on June 12th, 2018, during Nintendo Live at E3 2018. His design is based on his recent 3D appearances.

When unlocked, he is fought at Green Hill Zone.

Attributes[]

Strengths[]

  • Excellent combo game, many tilt attacks, aerials, and even special attacks usually combo into other aerials.
  • Up Smash possesses a windbox that draws enemies closer.
  • Down aerial can meteor smash.
  • Up-Special does not put him into helpless fall, meaning that he can further combo out of recovering, which further increases his combo game. He can also vertically air-dodge to gain extra height.
  • The spring from Spring Jump actually has a hitbox, which makes it useful for gimping opponents trying to recover. Furthermore, it does not count as a projectile, meaning it can be neither pocketed nor reflected.
  • Fastest dash speed in the game.
  • Can wall jump.

Weaknesses[]

  • Incredibly lightweight, making him easy to K.O. before 100%.
  • Heavy reliance on combos, requiring them to rack up damage.
  • Few reliable kill moves, with his specials, again, there to increase enemy damage.
  • Fast dash speed makes him hard to control at times, and makes combos easy to mess up.
  • His Final Smash, Super Sonic, is rather easy to avoid and can easily be air-dodged through.

Summary[]

Sonic is a lightweight who, staying true to his home series, has very fast mobility. He possesses the fastest dashing speed in the game by default (surpassed only by Hero under the effects of Acceleratle), the 7th fastest walking speed, the 12th fastest air speed (tied with Mario, Donkey Kong, Little Mac and Inkling), and the highest traction. Combined with his above average fall speed and jumps, this allows him to move across the stage very quickly, despite having average gravity and slow air acceleration. As a cherry on top, he can wall jump.

Sonic's special moves are quite useful. Spin Dash and Spin Charge allow him to not only move across stages at varying speeds, but also do damage on contact, and both can follow up into an aerial attack or uncharged Homing Attack. Despite their very similar-looking appearances in functions, they both have different strengths and uses for various different situations. 

Spin Dash allows Sonic to jump around the stage while charging or holding the charge of the move and can be released in the air, and the hop at the start of the move allows Sonic to "spinshot" on ground as well as in the air, with it being the side special making it more ideal for aiming the spin shot to recover. The initial jump can also help Sonic avoid certain things like projectiles by hopping over them, it, however, loses this initial hop if fully charged. Spin Dash also has a moment of intangibility on startup. Due to the number of branching choices Sonic has when starting Spin Dash, it is his most reliable attack in neutral and one of his best approach options overall. From jumping into cancellation, charging it to alter its timing, switching directions after releasing, and utilizing the spin shot, Spin Dash plays an extremely important role when attempting to play mind games versus Sonic's opponent.

While Spin Dash is a one-hit move that mostly knocks opponents into the air, Spin Charge, on the other hand, hits multiple times, carrying the opponent, and moves a little faster, making it a good alternative for dashing. Jumping out of Spin Charge also has Sonic hop while spinning, making him a jumping hitbox. Also, due to charging up by pushing the Special Move button repeatedly, it can be charged up to full power faster than Spin Dash. Spin Charge can also perform a "spinshot", although it can only be done while airborne. 

Both give Sonic additional protection when recovering and combo into other moves. The mobility of both in tandem with Sonic's already impressive speed makes him capable of quickly adding on damage to unprepared opponents from anywhere on the stage, and they can clank and cancel out the effects of certain moves, such as Snake's C4 or Yoshi's Egg Roll. Both moves can be blocked by shield, making them a bit unsafe and committal or predictable, as Spin Dash can only be canceled with a jump and Spin Charge can only be canceled by jumping or stopping pressing the Special Move button. However, they can bypass shields if fully-charged.

Homing Attack deals a varying amount of damage, homes in on the nearest opponent and is good for punishing laggy moves and edge-guard breaking. Its uncharged state also has the potential to combo and its charged state has K.O. potential at higher percents. Spring Jump is a useful recovery that grants intangibility at the start, goes very high, and is one of few recovery moves that do not cause a helpless state, enabling Sonic to attack and dodge during his descent and even extend his recovery with a directional air dodge. The spring that is dropped can be useful both on-stage and off-stage by allowing him to pressure and gimp opponents, respectively.

Sonic also has a powerful air game. Neutral aerial is a great combo starter when SHFF'd, as a result of its long-lasting hitbox, low landing lag, and launching angle. Forward aerial is useful for edge-guarding and, in certain instances, can combo into itself on-stage at low percentages, thanks to its auto-canceling window and Sonic's fast airspeed. Up aerial possesses KO potential near the upper blast line and is great for combos, while its auto-canceling window makes it deceptively safe. Back aerial's clean hitbox is powerful, making it one of his few reliable KOing options like his up aerial, and coupled with its strength within Sonic's kit, also makes it his best aerial finisher. Lastly, down aerial is a stall-then-fall; although it is Sonic's least effective aerial, it has noticeably less ending lag compared to other stall-then-falls, and its initial hitbox meteor smashes aerial opponents.

Sonic's neutral attack, tilts, and throws have decent damage outputs and good speed, making them hard to punish. His grab game is decent overall; While none of Sonic's grabs excel in speed and each of them has average ranges, they are still fairly easy to land thanks to his outstanding speed. Sonic's pummel is also quick and has an average damage output, allowing him to rack up a fair amount of damage before throwing an opponent. Down throw is a semi-spike that has high base knockback, which makes it excellent for setting up edge-guards and tech-chases. Back throw also has high base knockback and KOs much earlier than his other throws, especially if it is used while near the edge. It also moves Sonic backward, which makes it useful for setting up an immediate edge-guard attempt. Up tilt can be reversed on startup and hit opponents through platforms above Sonic, and his Forward Smash has a bit of a deceptively large range due to him stepping forward during the punch.

Up throw is a reliable combo starter, having decently damaging combos beginning at 0%, as well as Spring Jump-assisted aerial combos beginning at medium percentages. It also has KO potential, although it only KOs reliably at very high percentages when used on high platforms, such as Battlefield's top platform, as well as stages with low upper blast zones. Lastly, forward throw is his least useful throw, as its primary utility is for forcing the opponent away from him. Like up throw, it can also function as a KOing option, albeit only when used on the edge at very high percentages.

Mastering Sonic's running game is crucial to Sonic's ability to perform at higher levels and is one of the factors that makes him so difficult to play competitively. Sonic users take advantage of a variety of dash or dash-related techniques that are seldom used by other characters. Dash-dancing can be extremely useful for mind games in Sonic's gameplay, such as by running in one direction and then quickly turning the other way around to bait an opponent or catch them off-guard. It is often regarded by Sonic players that it is better to run away from the opponent and run back than to use roll-dodges to avoid opponents. This allows the player to avoid damage, not be as easily punished, have more control over their actions, and be able to punish their opponent's attacks. Dash-dance pivots (consisting of fox-trotting away from the opponent, then quickly dash-dancing backward) are particularly effective for this, as they can cause almost immediate turnarounds and then grabs can then be used to punish opponents. In general, Sonic has the easiest time winning neutral exchanges due to his unmatched speed and maneuverability on-stage, and attacks that not only come out fast but can also be used to approach with.

Sonic has some weaknesses however, the most noticeable of which is his KO potential. His KO potential is held back by his most reliable KOing options (smash attacks, and clean back aerial) requiring good positioning and having noticeable start-up and ending lag. His forward and up smashes are also burdened with low base knockback, which forces them to be used for KO attempts later instead of earlier and down smash, while having a decent start-up, has high ending lag, making it easy to punish if missed. While his damage-racking potential is formidable, his actual ability to close out a stock is one of the worst in the game, often resulting in his opponents surviving beyond 150% and even 200%. Despite his outstanding mobility, Sonic may struggle to land due to his very slow air acceleration, leaving him susceptible to juggling.

Sonic can also have difficulty dealing with camping, since any ground-level projectile can severely limit his movement options. While Homing Attack and Spin Dash are his best options in getting through said projectiles, they can be reacted to and even predicted. Some of his attacks are also very punishable should they miss, and thus allow openings for opponents to punish him. His recovery is also predictable with Spring Jump as his only vertical recovery option, as its linearity makes him susceptible to gimps even at relatively low percentages. Finally, Sonic can be susceptible to early KOs due to being a lightweight.

Much like in Brawl, Sonic's matchups are difficult to define, as they vary greatly from player to player, possibly more so than for any other character. Depending on the play-style of the Sonic, he can have a decent matchup against almost any character in the game, even at competitive levels. Because of his prowess for mindgaming and switching up tactics, as well as the inherent strengths and weaknesses of each style of play, some Sonic mains argue that Sonic has no truly disadvantageous matchups as a character and that his matchups are much more heavily influenced by playstyle than his actual attributes.

In all, Sonic has a great offensive play, has a strong neutral game, a good off-stage presence, and can very rapidly damage his opponents, but like other characters of his archetype, has some trouble KOing.

Changes from 3DS/Wii U[]

Attributes[]

  • Sonic now takes damage when swimming in water, referencing to how Sonic will drown when in water for too long in his games.

Ground Attacks[]

  • Sonic's dash attack has changed from a rolling kick into a simple kick.

Aerial Attacks[]

Grabs and Throws[]

Special Attacks[]

  • Spin Dash cannot be cancelled into shield anymore.
  • Homing Attack now shows a reticle around the opponent it is targeting.
  • Sonic's Final Smash, Super Sonic, is not controllable; instead, Sonic rapidly flies diagonally across the screen, ascending, descending, bumping his flight trajectory.

Moveset[]

Ground Attacks[]

Normal[]

  • Neutral Attack (Double Punch-Kick): one-two punch followed by kick that launches foe away
  • Forward Tilt (Horse Kick): double-leg kick from handstand, second strike lunching foes
  • Up Tilt (Double Hi-Kick): double-hit upward kick that launches foes up
  • Down Tilt (Leg Throw): low leg sweep that pops enemies up
  • Dash Attack: uses momentum to kick, launching foe away

Smash Attacks[]

  • Forward Smash (Windup Punch): A windup punch that can be angled, useful against those on ledges. One of Sonic's moves from Sonic the Fighters.
  • Up Smash (Spin Jump): A jumping attack with Sonic curled into a ball; initial hit pops up foes, then five-hit combo culminates in launching foes up.
  • Down Smash: A split that strikes on both sides

Other attacks[]

  • Floor Attack (Forward):
  • Floor Attack (Back):
  • Floor Attack (Trip):
  • Ledge Attack:

Aerial Attacks[]

  • Neutral aerial (Flying Spin Attack): A spin attack from the air.
  • Forward aerial (Emerald Dive): A horizontal, spinning headbutt; can hit up to six times, culminating in knocking foes away.
  • Back aerial: A back kick with knockback.
  • Up aerial: A scissor kick that launches foes.
  • Down aerial (Sonic Rocket): A dive kick that ends with knocking foes up and away.

Grabs and Throws[]

  • Grab: standard
  • Forward Throw: standard
  • Back Throw: standard
  • Up Throw: Impales foe with spines, launching into air
  • Down Throw (Head Spin): Plants foe onto the ground, then curls into a ball and repeatedly rolls over them.

Special Moves[]

Sonic's Special Moves
Brawl 3DS/Wii U Ultimate
Standard Special Homing Attack
Side Special Spin Dash
Up Special Spring Jump
Down Special Spin Charge
Final Smash Super Sonic

Taunts[]

  • Up Taunt: Does a front flip, while putting in his iconic pose from Sonic Adventure.
  • Down Taunt: Starts doing a breakdancing move and says "Come on!"
  • Side Taunt: Starts running in place saying "Sonic speed!"

On-Screen Appearance[]

Does a homing attack onto the screen, and does his brawl pose.

Idle Poses[]

  • Taps his right/left shoe, a reference to his iconic idle pose.
  • Does his iconic finger wag pose.

Victory Poses[]

  • Runs off-screen and on-screen and does a thumbs up while saying “That was almost too easy.”
  • Runs to get the blue chaos emerald and says “Piece of cake!”
  • Starts doing a breakdancing move upside down while saying “Let's do that again sometime!” Used for Team Victory Pose.

In competitive play[]

Upon Ultimate's release, Sonic was initially seen as a far less viable character comparative to 3DS/Wii U due to Spin Dash no longer being able to be shield canceled, Spin Charge no longer crossing up shield without a full charge, up air failing to connect at times, and Spin Charge's inconsistent ability to knock opponents upward with the jump, with the former being arguably his worst change. This has led to a mixed reception of him, and he was seen as a mid-tier character in general, with some top players even ranking him as far as low tier.

However, he retained his superb mobility, long-distanced recovery, and combo game, along with a potent set of KO moves. The character has amassed notoriety for his hit-and-run playstyle, allowing multiple top players to resort to time out strategies due to the difficulty of intercepting him. As a result of capitalizing on these strengths, Sonic saw a rise in results across the Fall 2019 PGRU season, having notable placements in majors such as Frostbite 2020 and EVO Japan 2020, courtesy of players like Sonido, Wrath, and KEN. When patch 9.0.0 was released, Sonic was given more buffs, most notably his Up Aerial, which can connect more reliably and consistently, giving Sonic more combo potential. His other moves have less end lag and startup, making his approach options safer. Despite his overall viability still being up for debate, the general perception of him has become significantly favorable, with many professional players arguing that he's a solid or upper high tier at minimum with some thinking he's a top tier.

As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic forcing competitive events to be held online, Sonic saw a boost in tournament performance. The online environment of Ultimate arguably benefits Sonic more than any other character due to increased input lag, rendering it harder to contend with Sonic's campy playstyle and intercepting his already powerful burst options. This has caused a controversial perception of Sonic in competitive play, as many players have been critical of how effective his playstyle and ability to time players out are, with some even going so far as saying he should be banned. While the general consensus has been that Sonic is not worthy of a ban, many have argued for stricter rules in terms of camping and timing players out. Sonic's competitive results were also partially bolstered by non-US players and Wi-Fi warriors such as Sonix being able to compete for more tournaments, who is currently ranked fourth in the Wi-Fi Warrior Rank v6.

Overall, Sonic is one of six 3DS/Wii U top tier veterans (the other five being Mario, Fox, Diddy Kong, Zero Suit Samus, and Cloud) who continues to earn great representation and consistently places well in tournaments.

Classic Mode: At the Speed of Sound[]

Sonic's opponents in Classic Mode are a mix between the game's fastest characters as well as references to characters in other Sonic titles. The references to his games in Sonic's Classic Mode go in chronological order from each console generation starting from the 4th (Sega Genesis) to the 8th (Wii U).

Role in World of Light[]

Sonic was among the fighters summoned to the cliffside to assist in defeating an army of Master Hands.

During the opening cutscene, Sonic was present on the cliffside when Galeem unleashed his beams of light. While attempting to run away, Sonic noticed Pikachu doing the same and reached his hand towards Pikachu in an attempt to save it, Pikachu was unfortunately vaporized and placed under Galeem's imprisonment, devastating Sonic. However, because he had to slow down a bit to try and save Pikachu, the blue blur suffers the same fate.

Sonic was one of the many fighters that fell under Dharkon's control upon Galeem's first defeat. He appears in the Sacred Land sub-area as one of the fighters that block the Master Sword, making him one of the obligatory unlocks. His location could potentially be a reference to Sonic & the Black Knight and/or the Zelda-themed level in Sonic Lost World.

He is later seen standing next to Mario, as the heroes prepare their last stand against Galeem and Dharkon.

Palette Swaps[]

Sonic Palette (SSBU)


Gallery[]

External links[]

Smash Ultimate logo glow  · Fighters
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Newcomers Banjo & Kazooie  · Byleth  · Chrom  · Daisy  · Dark Samus  · Hero  · Incineroar  · Inkling  · Isabelle  · Joker  · Kazuya  · Ken  · King K. Rool  · Min Min  · Piranha Plant  · Pyra/Mythra  · Richter  · Ridley  · Sephiroth  · Simon  · Sora  · Steve  · Terry
SonicSymbol Sonic the Hedgehog universe
Characters Sonic the Hedgehog (Brawl  · 3DS/Wii U  · Ultimate)
Side Characters Assist Trophies Shadow the Hedgehog  · Knuckles the Echidna
Mii Fighter Costumes Tails  · Knuckles the Echidna
Background characters Tails  · Knuckles the Echidna  · Silver the Hedgehog
Enemy Eggrobo
Stages Green Hill Zone  · Windy Hill Zone
Music List of Music (Sonic the Hedgehog series)
Collectibles Trophies Brawl Trophies  · 3DS Trophies  · Wii U Trophies
Stickers List of Stickers (Sonic the Hedgehog series)
Spirits List of spirits (Sonic series)
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